What I read in February 2021
I read another 13 books this month, and probably added more than that to my TBR pile because, dammit, I keep coming across so many awesome-sounding books and what am I supposed to do, ignore them?
When I wasn’t reading, in February I was mainly watching I May Destroy You, season two of Borgen, BoJack Horseman, The Murders at White House Farm and Hinterland, and keeping up with WandaVision and Unforgotten (WHY is ITV Hub the only player that won’t let you go back to the start of a live TV show?!). I’m still very much playing The Sims 4 and writing (well, mostly editing lately).
I’ve also been getting into Les Mills barre classes. I’m not about to discover any hitherto unsuspected poise and grace, but I am getting enjoyment and a sense of achievement from them - and there’s no pressure to keep up or do things exactly right because it’s online.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, by Marianne Cronin - 4.5*
She Came to Stay, by Eleni Kyriacou - 4.5*
Psycho-Logical: Why Mental Health Goes Wrong - and How to Make Sense of It, by Dean Burnett. My brain has been a real dick over the past few months, but reading books that explain what’s going on has really helped - 5*
A Beautiful Spy, by Rachel Hore - 4.5*
Can You See Me Now?, by Trisha Sakhlecha - 4*
The Devil and the Dark Water, by Stuart Turton - 4*
Bound, by Vanda Symon - review coming soon! 4*
The Fractured Globe, by Angela Fish - review coming soon! 4*
How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong, by Elizabeth Day. While I can’t relate to all of the author’s experiences, I found this book a treasure trove of validating and reassuring moments - 4.5*
Blonde Roots, by Bernadine Evaristo. I so wanted to like this more than I did, but I wasn’t sure what the race reversal or the topsy-turvy geography really brought to it - 3*
Slow Motion, by Jennifer Pierce - review coming soon! 4*
The Dare, by Lesley Kara - review coming soon! 4.5*
The Lying Room, by Nicci French - 4*
Looking ahead…
I’ve got another busy month of blog tour stops in March, and I’m particularly looking forward to reading Kill Shot, by Sally Rigby and The Republic of Love, by Carol Shields. Both are authors I’ve enjoyed reading for previous tours (Silent Graves and The Stone Diaries), so these tours are a brilliant opportunity for me to get round to reading more of their work!
The Fressingfield Witch, by Jacqueline Beard, is my pick for this month’s Book Shelf Raiders meeting. March’s theme is ‘a book with a place in the title’, and this book has been on my pile for nearly two years, so it’s a great excuse to finally read it! At the meetings, we take it in turns to talk about the book we chose to read loosely based on the theme. February was the first time I went, and I really enjoyed seeing fellow readers and hearing what they had to say.
I’m excited to read Notebook, by Tom Cox, because I just love his writing, and The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love, by Sonia Renee Taylor, partly because it was recommended to help me with the (gradual, non-linear) process of learning to be nicer to myself, but also because it just looks like a really validating and empowering read.